After several days in Voufalo (Buffalo) Bay we headed south the Saronic Gulf
Leaving the bay just as the sun was about to hit the yoga retreat
Heading back out into Evia channel, mainland in front
After a seven hour sail, 36nm, next stop was Lavrion on the mainland - not the most picturesque spot but a very convenient stop over for the night, to stock up with food and fill the water tanks.
Preparing to leave at the crack of dawn the next day for another long sail across the Saronic Gulf
Watching the sun come up over Evia island - beautiful time of day
Huge four masted sailing ship in the harbour
Our departure was delayed while we waited for this massive cruise ship to come through the harbour entrance - not a lot of room for both of us! The tiny pilot boat on the left is escorting her in and the tug boat in front is pushing her into place.
Also in the harbour was Zenith, one of the Peace boats.
Peace Boat is a Japan-based international NGO which promotes peace, human rights, and sustainability.
Peace Boat carries out its main activities through a passenger ship that travels the world. Working in partnership with UN SDG Action Campaign, Peace Boat’s activities onboard and in port empower participants, strengthen local capacity for sustainability, and build people-to-people cooperation beyond borders. The voyages, run on a social business model, blend sustainable tourism, lifelong learning and friendship activities with educational programmes, cooperative projects, and advocacy.
The Temple of Poseidon on Sounion Point
This ancient temple was built in 444 - 440 BC and is 60metres above the sea. It is built entirely of white marble and was constructed to honour Poseidon, god of the Sea.
It is thought to be the spot where Athenian King Aegeus killed himself by jumping off the cliff. Aegeus, who had positioned himself at Sounion to look out for the return of his son Theseus from Crete, saw the black sails on the ship and mistakenly thought Theseus had been killed by the Minotaur, a creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man. In fact, young Theseus was victorious but had forgotten to replace the black sails on his ship with white ones upon returning, which ultimately led to his father’s death. And so, in commemoration, Aegeus’ name was given to the Aegean Sea.
Traditionally when sailors pass by Sounion they offer a libation for his protection against storms at sea - hope he likes Lemoncello!
Crossing over to Poros just south of the shipping lanes - as you can see from our chart, it was very busy that day. This was our route out of Lavrion (the pink blob) and point 1 is Sounion.
One of the closer vessels seen on our chart - very busy area with ships coming in and out of Athens. The Corinth Canal is still closed due to the landslide so no ships can pass through there.
Arriving in Poros and sailing along the channel between Poros town on the island of Poros and mainland Peloponnese on the other side. The picturesque houses all have terracotta rooves and seem to be stacked up the hillside above the port.
Very attractive little town
Looking back at the town as we head for an anchorage in........
.........Russian Bay
This bay was where the Russian navy docked when they came to help the Greek people in the revolution against the Turks in 1834. They built the warehouses here to supply the ships.
The beautiful little island of Daskalio, or Island of Love (opposite Russian Bay) - so named partly because so many weddings are held there but also because, seen from above the island is heart shaped.
The graphical and beautiful Daskalio is located opposite the Russian Naval Station. Its name is considered to have been given during the period of Turkish occupation and they named it Daskalio because in the island was a “krifo scholio” (an underground school for teaching the Greek language and Christian doctrine, provided by the Greek Orthodox Church under Ottoman rule in Greece between the 15th and 19th centuries).
The view from the beach bar - a bit more than the shack that was here last time we came, but still fairly basic. Serenity in the background all on her own - it wasn't always the case but nice when it was!!
Anchor out at the front and long lines to the shore to hold us in place. Having swum ashore and adjusted the line, I looked back and saw a kingfisher sitting on it - never have the camera at the crucial moment!
One night two large catamarans came in next to us full of Spaniards. They said it was party night and we shouldn't expect any sleep! Actually later on they went ashore to the beach bar that often had music on at night. When it got really loud Dave decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em so out came the amplifier!
Today's job - scrubbing the teak decks
Beautiful eucalyptus trees on the beach - lovely colouring against the blue skies
Fun on the Watermelon flotilla opposite - one dinghy towing a flamingo, a doughnut, a crocodile, a purple creature? and several paddle boards around the bay
Having spent several days in Russian Bay we were starting to run out of food (no shops around there) so moved back to the quay in Poros town.
Here are a few views taken as we walked around.
Tiny chapel in the centre
A little oasis of a garden outside one house
Back down to sea level on the other side of town and we come to an ice cream shop boasting 46 flavours of home-made ice cream! Dave is in heaven!! But what to choose?
From the bow looking along the channel it looks like a strange creature coming towards us? It is actually one of the ferries from Piraeus, Athens.
The sewing machine is earning its keep - fitting an extra layer over the bimini (cockpit cover) and inserting a window so that the helm can see the sails easily. Photo of the end result in the next post!
By the way the mystery photo from last time was actually a wasps nest on the underside of the cockpit table - thankfully not occupied!
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